Working from Home: Chasing the White Rabbit
-
"The idea of working in boxers or pajamas while sipping on your own coffee from your own mug is appealing to people"
I'd say that may be appealing to someone who is 20, but as you get older that becomes less and less of a goal. I have a colleague who works from home but still puts a suit and tie on every day because it makes him feel more professional and helps create that barrier between home life and work life.
I think the lack of a long commute to the office is probably the biggest reason people like to work from home. A 10 second walk to your home office is a lot better than two hours a day in a traffic jam or standing in a crowded train. Studies have shown that commuting is terrible for people's stress levels, happiness and well-being.
-
@Carnival-Boy said:
I'd say that may be appealing to someone who is 20, but as you get older that becomes less and less of a goal.
Opposite for me. The older I get the more I dislike the commute and the time wasted dressing up to impress others and the more I value the time that I have with my family.
-
I'm saying commuting and time with family are the goals rather than the ability to work in your pyjamas.
-
@Carnival-Boy said:
I'm saying commuting and time with family are the goals rather than the ability to work in your pyjamas.
Ah, I see. (Says the guy in his pajamas.) I really value the time flexibility and not needing to spend time shaving and grooming for work too. It takes me 30-60 minutes to get up and get out the door in the morning when going out. But if I am working at home I roll out of bed, brush my teeth and start working.
-
I love working from home and that my husband works from home. We get to spend all sorts of time together. But I still take the same effort to get ready every day (minus dress clothes cause let's face it jeans and an Aetherstore tshirt are more comfortable). By taking the time to groom I am more focused and professional in how I conduct myself everyday. This is still a real job and needs to be treated that way for the most part.
-
I'm changing my hours so that I start work an hour earlier each morning (7.30am) and so then get Friday afternoon's off. I'm lucky in that I live less than a mile from work, so walk there in 25 minutes. I also wear jeans to work.
So I'm all good. It doesn't take me long to get ready in the morning. I normally shower and shave the night before, so in the morning it's just a case of putting on some clothes and walking out of the front door. My hair generally takes care of itself. I probably need the 25 minute walk to wake me up properly before I start working.
-
In the UK now workers have a legal right to request a change to their working hours in order to fit their life/work balance. Employers have to have a valid reason to refuse any such requests. So quite a few of my colleagues have now changed their hours to suit them. I think this can be a better direction to take rather than home working as it's kind of the best of both worlds.
-
@Carnival-Boy said:
I think this can be a better direction to take rather than home working as it's kind of the best of both worlds.
Only if being in an office is better for you than being home. Changing my hours wouldn't help, only working from home helps.
One reason I hate going into an office on a regular basis is the constant, pointless interruptions. I want to work hard and then have time with my family. Not try to work hard but spend time being interrupted by coworkers who have little to do or want to burn through hours till it is time to go home. I've never seen a truly productive office environment. I've seen good ones and bad ones, but never one that held a candle to working from home.
-
@scottalanmiller said:
@Carnival-Boy said:
I think this can be a better direction to take rather than home working as it's kind of the best of both worlds.
Only if being in an office is better for you than being home. Changing my hours wouldn't help, only working from home helps.
One reason I hate going into an office on a regular basis is the constant, pointless interruptions. I want to work hard and then have time with my family. Not try to work hard but spend time being interrupted by coworkers who have little to do or want to burn through hours till it is time to go home. I've never seen a truly productive office environment. I've seen good ones and bad ones, but never one that held a candle to working from home.
I just have more trouble focusing working from home. I find I get distracted easier, although working in more comfy clothes (although I'm pretty comfy in my jeans and t-shirt now) and working to some music from my nice speakers is totally awesome I will admit.
-
Some people do better in a structured environment. You have to have the will power and not make excuses if you are going to work from home. Not everyone can do that. After managing remote workers most of them are a bit lax (not all but most) in keeping them selves on task all day.
Part of why I get ready for work each day just like I would for an in an office job. Go through the full process that you would for leaving your house each day. Only take breaks like you would have if you worked in an office each day. The more relaxed I allow myself to be the less I get done.
-
@thanksaj said:
I just have more trouble focusing working from home. I find I get distracted easier, although working in more comfy clothes (although I'm pretty comfy in my jeans and t-shirt now) and working to some music from my nice speakers is totally awesome I will admit.
I'm unable to filter out voices and music. So if people in the office are talking (and they seem to always be doing that) all I can do is listen to them. I have no way to turn off my ears and think about something else. Rarely do people play music in the office that I can hear, but I don't use it at home either. I close the door and sit in a silent room so that I can focus.
It's like torture being made to work in an office space where I hear voices all of the time. All I do is sit there being pissed that someone cares more that they can see me than they do about the work that I do.
-
@Minion-Queen said:
Some people do better in a structured environment. You have to have the will power and not make excuses if you are going to work from home.
I find the same in an office. You have so many ready-made and highly visible excuses to not be working that it is just too tempting to get nothing done. When working at home you need to produce real work for people to see you working.
-
@scottalanmiller said:
@thanksaj said:
I just have more trouble focusing working from home. I find I get distracted easier, although working in more comfy clothes (although I'm pretty comfy in my jeans and t-shirt now) and working to some music from my nice speakers is totally awesome I will admit.
I'm unable to filter out voices and music. So if people in the office are talking (and they seem to always be doing that) all I can do is listen to them. I have no way to turn off my ears and think about something else. Rarely do people play music in the office that I can hear, but I don't use it at home either. I close the door and sit in a silent room so that I can focus.
It's like torture being made to work in an office space where I hear voices all of the time. All I do is sit there being pissed that someone cares more that they can see me than they do about the work that I do.
See, I can't focus if I don't have some background noise. But I have the ability to listen to my coworkers calls and conversations while I'm working. I actually get less done when there are fewer distractions, although I know that seems to make little sense. It's like when I used to have to put on music to do my homework. The part of my mind that would start to wander was focused on the music, which allowed my conscious thinking to focus on the task at hand.
-
@scottalanmiller said:
@Minion-Queen said:
Some people do better in a structured environment. You have to have the will power and not make excuses if you are going to work from home.
I find the same in an office. You have so many ready-made and highly visible excuses to not be working that it is just too tempting to get nothing done. When working at home you need to produce real work for people to see you working.
Yeah, true.
-
@scottalanmiller Unlike an office, you don't just get "credit" for showing up when you work from home. It does put a lot more pressure on you to prove your worth...
-
@thanksaj said:
@scottalanmiller Unlike an office, you don't just get "credit" for showing up when you work from home. It does put a lot more pressure on you to prove your worth...
Exactly. Being in the office is work all by itself, useful or not.
-
If you're English, you can't discuss working from home without thinking of this famous sketch from Mitchell and Webb:
-
@Carnival-Boy said:
If you're English, you can't discuss working from home without thinking of this famous sketch from Mitchell and Webb:
Ok then...
